


Riptide

by doop_doop



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Lorenz is a merman, M/M, Oral Sex, POV Lorenz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:35:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28797720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doop_doop/pseuds/doop_doop
Summary: Merpeople were curious, and humans were always there, so close, yet just out of reach - a world Lorenz couldn’t grasp. And to grasp that at last - to be entitled to a human’s time, to have his gaze focused on you, to answer his questions and have him answer yours - was a heady thing.Tooheady, perhaps.One day, a human painter shows up on Lorenz’s beach. Things start to spiral from there.
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Ignatz Victor
Comments: 20
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have about 15k completed right now, though I'm not sure how long it will be overall. 
> 
> Future chapters will contain descriptions of merman anatomy (lol), so be careful if that's not your thing.

For the first time Lorenz could remember, there was a human alone on the beach. He was working on a painting and had his back to the sea - which meant Lorenz could get close enough to observe. He swam to shore, feeling a thrill of excitement go through his body.

The man was already well into his painting, and Lorenz could see at a glance how talented he was. There upon his canvas was the landscape in miniature - the cliffs and the vivid blue sky of midday, the grass blowing in the wind. The painter was working on a tree now, each of its leaves a tiny daub of green paint, just the barest press of the brush. His hands moved with such delicate precision that Lorenz was hypnotized, feeling as if he could lie here and watch forever. Clearly the painter was in a world of his own; he did not take heed even when Lorenz dragged himself half onto land to get a better look.

Humans didn’t come to this stretch of shoreline very often. There was a road, but it was up on the cliffs, meaning any travelers passing through were visible only from a distance. The fishermen preferred the bay a little ways to the south, where the water was colder and the currents faster - where the merpeople didn’t like to hunt. The fishermen always carried harpoons on them, and their nets were thick enough that not even a merperson’s teeth could slice through. But the two species had reached a cautious balance: the humans stuck to their bay, and the merpeople let them fish in peace. It worked to keep everyone alive, but it left the humans so tantalizingly far away.

The locals never swam, and never ventured close to the sea alone. Even the fishermen never went out without at least one other man on hand. But this was a man, alone, his back to the water, close enough to the ocean that an errant wave would touch his ankles.

Lorenz  _ had _ to speak to him. He had only spoken to a handful of humans in his lifetime, the conversations disappointingly brief and always at a distance. Lorenz found his urge to spend time with them was not sated with following ships and gazing at cities from a distance, but the humans did not make it easy to interact with them; they saw the mermaids and judged them on sight. Humans were so weak and soft and small, and it was that fear that kept them alive - Lorenz knew this, but still,  _ still. _

Now, he had a chance, and he was  _ not  _ going to let it slip away. 

He watched the painter until the man stopped and began to pack up his things. Then, though his heart was pounding, Lorenz knew it was time. Now or never. 

“Hello human!”

His voice was too loud, he realized right away. The human actually fell to the ground in shock, the strange circular wires on his face going askew. 

“What - what  _ are  _ you?” he gasped, scooting backwards, away from Lorenz. 

“A merman. Have you heard of merpeople before? You aren’t from around here, are you?”

The urge to talk was overwhelming. Lorenz had so many questions for the human, who, though he’d backed up some, was still  _ so _ close. It sent a thrill through Lorenz’s blood. 

“No, I’m not from around here,” the man said slowly. “Are - are you going to eat me?”

“No,” Lorenz said. “If I was going to, I would not have shouted at you.”

“That’s… a good point. Then, why…” 

“I haven’t spoken to a human before,” Lorenz said, anticipating the question. “I’m so curious. I have always wanted to know more about humans, but none come near the ocean around here. They are all afraid of us.” 

“Okay,” the human said. “That’s… that’s fine. We can talk.” 

Lorenz stared, hardly believing it had actually worked. The human shifted position, crossing his legs and resting his arms on his knees. He was getting more comfortable, Lorenz realized, shocked. “You’re really willing to talk with me?”

“I’m curious too,” the human said, shrugging. “I’ve never spoken with a merman. I mean, of course I haven’t. I didn’t even know what one looked like.” He smiled self-consciously, and Lorenz stared at the row of flat-topped, dull teeth, so much smaller than his own. “And I definitely have questions for you. So, um, ask away.”

“Your painting,” Lorenz said quickly. “It’s very good. Can I…” 

He had been about to ask whether he could take a closer look, but stopped mid-sentence: the human’s cheeks had turned pink, and his body language suggested he was tense. “You saw that?”

“Yes,” Lorenz said. “Was I not supposed to?”

“It’s fine, it’s just… I’m not great at painting. I’m just an amateur. And not many people know that I do it.” 

Lorenz was not sure why any of that applied to him, but he was astute enough to recognize insecurity when he saw it. “It really was very good,” he said again. “I have not seen many paintings-”  _ Any  _ paintings, actually; humans didn’t tend to let them get close to water- “but I can tell when something is artfully done. You are skilled.”

The human’s face was bright red now. Lorenz was not sure what kind of emotional reaction his words had provoked, but after a moment the human nodded and scrambled to his feet. He took the painting from its holder, knelt down in the sand by the shore, and held it out for Lorenz to see.

The sheer amount of trust this took made Lorenz’s pulse speed up. He pushed himself forward as far as he dared, taking in the details he’d missed from afar - the individual rocks of the cliff, the blades of grass and wisps of cloud. “Beautiful,” Lorenz breathed. “I could stare at this all day.” 

“I guess there probably aren’t any merpeople who are painters, huh.”

“Not a one,” Lorenz said. “Not that I know of. We have art, of course, but it’s very different.” 

“Merperson art. I didn’t even consider that,” the human said, sounding breathless. “I’d love to see that sometime!”

This human… did he even know what he was saying? He’d basically promised a second meeting. Lorenz felt as if he might float out of the ocean, his heart was so light. “Yes, of course,” he said, watching as the human rose and placed the painting back on the wooden frame he’d been using to hold it. “I’ll bring you some. Gladly.”

“I’m Ignatz,” the human said. To Lorenz’s surprise he sat right back down on the beach, even closer than he’d been when holding the painting. 

“Lorenz. Pleased to meet you.”

“You said you’ve never talked to a human before?” Ignatz said. “What about that town to the south of here? It’s practically on the ocean.”

_ “Practically _ on the ocean is not good enough,” Lorenz said. “I can’t exactly walk up to them and say hello, can I? They avoid merpeople, and will spear us through if we get too close.” 

“Why?”

“Fear, which is completely unwarranted. We do not eat humans.” 

“What do you eat?”

“Fish.” _-of course,_ _what else?_ he might’ve added, but to Ignatz it was not something that might be assumed. That ignorance was the only reason Ignatz was here talking to him, after all. “In some areas, seals, but not very often. Not here, though - they don’t live around here.”

“Can I look at your tail?”

Lorenz hadn’t been expecting the question, and it took him a moment to process it. “Of course,” he said. “But I can’t come any further onto the shore.”

Ignatz stood. “Just stay where you are. I’ll come into the water.”

It was a curious thing, lying on the ground as the human walked around him, surveying him,  _ inspecting _ him. His gaze was steady and serious, really taking Lorenz in in a way no one ever had. He had never felt self-conscious in his life, but Lorenz felt a twinge of something resembling it now. What might he look like through a human’s eyes? Would Ignatz find him beautiful, ugly, or simply frightening?

“Can I touch your scales?”

Again, the question was surprising, but Lorenz answered without hesitation: “Yes.”

Ignatz’s hand was warm, almost hot. His touch was light, skimming down from Lorenz’s hip towards his fins, moving with the grain of his scales. Lorenz found himself greatly enjoying the sensation.

“Smoother than I expected,” Ignatz murmured. “Not rough. Almost soft, somehow. And the color… in the shadows it’s almost black, but in the sunlight it’s like amethyst.” 

“What is that?”

“A gemstone,” Ignatz said. “It’s a beautiful purple color.” 

_ Beautiful. _ The word made Lorenz want to preen. “You should bring some to show me. Then you can properly compare.”

Ignatz laughed, though to Lorenz it sounded a little nervous. “I definitely don’t have any amethysts lying around, sorry.”

There was a long pause, with only the lapping of the waves filling the silence. Lorenz hoped he hadn’t made the human feel self-conscious. “I will bring you the art I promised tomorrow,” he said, then paused. “Or… whenever it is convenient for you to return.” 

“Tomorrow is good,” Ignatz said. “I’ll be staying in the town for a few weeks. I’ll be busy most of the afternoons and evenings, but mornings I should be free.” He glanced up at the sun and sighed. “I should get going.” 

A knot of nervousness rose into Lorenz’s throat. This meager time they’d spent together, it was not enough; Lorenz found himself hungering for more. It was possible Ignatz would break his word and never come back, and then the chance to speak with him more would be gone forever. There was a part of Lorenz that longed to snatch Ignatz up where he stood and drag him into the sea, take him to an island where they could talk to his heart’s content.

_ No, _ he thought. He did not want the only human who did not fear him to change his mind. Lorenz had to have faith in Ignatz. 

“Tomorrow morning, then,” Lorenz said, with a forced lightness.

“See you then.” Ignatz tucked his painting away and folded up his painting-stand. “And, Lorenz?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

Lorenz could only gawk. Ignatz was thanking  _ him? _ For what, exactly? “It’s nothing,” he said, but no, that wasn’t right - it was far from nothing. He tried again: “My pleasure.”

Ignatz seemed to understand; he smiled warmly, then turned away and began walking south.

\---

Suddenly it seemed like no work of art in the ocean would be good enough. Lorenz pawed through all the trinkets and jewelry he owned, feeling increasingly desperate. Some of it was  _ interesting, _ perhaps, but none of it compared to the painting Ignatz had been working on.

Lorenz felt a deep, almost painful need to impress Ignatz. He himself had been very impressed when they’d met - he’d had the thoughts knocked right out of his brain, in all honesty. He knew it was likely that nothing he could show Ignatz could compare to the feeling Ignatz had already given him, but Lorenz  _ had  _ to try. So he gathered up all the jewelry and art he owned that wasn’t painfully boring and tossed it into a sack. He’d been fond of most of his things, but now they seemed like scrap metal, like trinkets, kitschy and boring. 

There was a world of human art he’d never laid eyes on, and now, finally, he had the chance. He just had to keep Ignatz interested enough to keep coming back.

That thought was a massive weight on his shoulders. He knew so little about humans that he had no idea what might keep one’s attention. Well, he knew a little about  _ this  _ human: he was curious about Lorenz’s tail and liked art. It was a start. (Not much of one, of course, but it would not do to lose hope so early.) 

Lorenz spent half the night thinking of what he might say to Ignatz, planning speeches in his head, thinking of what questions were most vital to ask, worrying about what might go wrong. He barely slept, but his tiredness the next morning seemed paradoxically to give him more energy. He found his worries had mostly vanished in the night, leaving him more excited than ever.

When Lorenz got to the beach, Ignatz was already there, sitting on the sand. He didn’t have his painting supplies this time, it seemed; he was staring dreamily off towards the horizon, the sun at his back. When he sat Lorenz approaching, he sat up straight with a start. 

Just seeing Ignatz there filled Lorenz with warmth. He hadn’t broken his promise - Lorenz would get his company for at least a little while longer. “Hello, Ignatz,” he said, pulling himself up onto the sand as much as he could. It made him look a little silly, he knew, beaching himself like this - but the urge to be as close to Ignatz as possible was overpowering, and that part of him did not care how silly he might look.

“Good morning,” Ignatz said. His feet were bare, his toes dug into the sand. “At the town I’m staying at, they mentioned you.”

Lorenz blinked in surprise. “Me?”

“Ah, no, merpeople in general - not you specifically,” Ignatz clarified. “I said I was going for a walk, and they said not to walk too close to the water, because of them. You.”

Lorenz felt his heart thud in fear. It was silly, of course: obviously Ignatz hadn’t listened to them, since he’d come here as planned. But Lorenz noticed he was sitting a little further away, fully out of Lorenz’s reach, and wondered if perhaps Ignatz had taken the townspeoples’ warning to heart, if just a little.

“I figured they might say something like that,” Lorenz muttered, tossing his hair over his shoulder. “They are terrified of us.  _ For no reason,” _ he added emphatically. “I have never once heard of a merperson eating a human. It is simply not done - and not just because of the weapons humans carry. If I were to meet a human adrift in the ocean, I would - well, I would help them, if they needed it. Eating humans is a repulsive idea.”

He’d been about to say  _ I would leave them alone, _ but that wasn’t true, was it? If he met a human alone and weaponless in the ocean, he’d want to talk to them, not leave them be. Help them if they needed it, chat if they did not. But that was a far cry from  _ consuming  _ them. The sort of fear humans carried for merpeople was absolutely uncalled for.

“I know you won’t eat me,” Ignatz said. “You definitely had the chance to yesterday. If you were going to do it, I’m sure you would have already.” His eyes focused on the bag Lorenz had slung around his torso. “What’s that?”

Lorenz was only too happy to change the subject. “As promised, I have brought examples of merperson art and craftsmanship,” he said, taking items out and laying them on the sand. Ignatz scooted closer to pick them up, turning each one over and examining it from all sides before moving on to the next. 

“They aren’t  _ that _ impressive, of course,” Lorenz went on; Ignatz was so focused on the items he may not have even heard the addendum, but Lorenz felt obligated to say something. His heart was hammering in his ears as if it was his own body being gazed at with that keen artist’s eye. “But I hope you find them interesting, at least.”

Ignatz did not speak until he’d looked at them all, opened every little carved box, examined every jewel on every bracelet and ring. “These are incredible,” he said at last, and Lorenz felt his entire body relax. “Lorenz, the craftsmanship on these is like nothing I’ve seen. And the styles? They’re nothing like human jewelry. It’s fascinating!” 

“They are yours,” Lorenz said. 

“What?” 

“I give them all to you.”

It was stupid, Lorenz knew. Idiotic, rash. Two days ago he would have been aghast at his actions of today: these were  _ his  _ things, some of his most prized possessions, and he was giving them away to someone he’d basically just met? But now, to Lorenz, they were worth almost nothing. If they could buy Ignatz’s attention for another hour, another minute, he’d gladly trade away every trinket he owned.

“I can’t take them,” Ignatz said, frowning. “These have to be worth a  _ lot.” _

“Yes,” Lorenz said, “but I want you to have them.”

“Why?”

Why, indeed? Lorenz himself certainly did not know the answer, but saying so might strike the human as him being evasive. “Because… you showed me your art yesterday,” Lorenz said slowly. “And I’m grateful. I’ve never seen human art…”

“And you showed me your art,” Ignatz said. “You don’t need to give it to me, too. That’s not a fair trade.”

“I  _ want _ to,” Lorenz said. “I don’t need these things. I want to give them to you.”

Ignatz stared into his face for a long moment. Lorenz felt paralyzed, wondering what could be gleaned from his expression, wondering if he’d gone too far in his attempts to make Ignatz stay, and now it would all be for nothing and he’d leave anyways. 

Finally Ignatz broke the silence with a sigh. “I can’t lie, I  _ do _ want them,” he said. “But it doesn’t seem fair.”

“One, then?” Lorenz said. “Can I give you one?”

A beat, then Ignatz nodded. “Alright. If - if you really want that.”

“Yes.” He did. He still could not explain why, but he wanted it very badly.

“Then, will you pick one out for me?”

Lorenz chose one of his most recent acquisitions, a bracelet inlaid with coral and decorated with carved swirls and spirals. It was his favorite; if he could only offer one piece, it had to be that one - his best, his favorite.

Ignatz slipped it on his wrist and something inside Lorenz twisted happily. But it called his attention to Ignatz’s clothing, and he remembered Ignatz had offered to answer his questions. This was a decent place to start. “Do all humans wear clothes?” he asked.

Ignatz blinked, apparently startled by the question. “Um, yes, pretty much.”

“Why?” 

“Well, for warmth, usually.”

“That can’t be right,” Lorenz said. “You can’t all always be cold. What about on a hot day in the sun? By that logic you would take your clothing off, but I don’t think I have ever seen a human not wearing  _ something.” _

“Merpeople don’t wear clothes?”

“No,” Lorenz said. “Jewelry, sometimes. Clothes, never.”

Ignatz looked thoughtful, but something else as well, an emotion Lorenz couldn’t parse. “Humans don’t  _ always  _ wear clothes, though.”

“No?”

“We take them off sometimes. When we bathe, or when we need to change clothes.”

“Bathe?”

“Wash our bodies. If we don’t, dirt and sweat begins to accumulate, and we smell bad.”

Lorenz nodded, frowning. There was so much about humans he hadn’t even considered.

“I guess you could say,” Ignatz went on, speaking slowly, “humans wear clothing to cover parts of their bodies they aren’t comfortable with others seeing.”

Lorenz tilted his head to the side, more confused by this explanation. “Not a single human is comfortable?”

“There are laws about it.” Now Ignatz seemed uneasy; he didn’t quite meet Lorenz’s eyes. “People are required to wear clothes when they’re out in public.”

Lorenz thought about this for a moment. It did not make sense to him, but this was unknown territory: Ignatz was truly uncomfortable for the first time since they’d begun talking, and he didn’t want to push further.  _ What’s under your clothing? _ he longed to ask.  _ Why aren’t you comfortable? And why do humans enforce that? _ But he held his tongue, and for Ignatz’s sake he changed the subject.

“Were there any questions you wanted to ask me?”

“Oh, yes!” Ignatz said, and oh, were there ever - more questions than Lorenz would ever think to ask. Ignatz asked him about merperson life, culture, art, habits, diet, and on and on. When Lorenz gave his answer, he would ask the question to Ignatz in turn, so the conversation flitted back and forth, back and forth.

The sun neared its peak, and a sheen of sweat appeared on Ignatz’s face. Lorenz looked at him curiously, wondering if the liquid was water or something else. He wanted to know, too, what Ignatz smelled like, and what his skin would taste like, if Lorenz was to run his tongue along it…

He felt a shock go through him at the thought. It was undeniably, unmistakably  _ lust.  _

Lorenz was lusting after a human. 

It was seldom enough that he felt attraction to his  _ own _ kind, yet now he was daydreaming about licking poor Ignatz? This would not do, for a thousand reasons. First and foremost: Ignatz was still afraid, on some primal, unconscious level, that Lorenz wanted to eat him. Licking - even if teeth were not involved - would scare him away forever, no doubt about it.

And that wasn’t even getting into the species difference, though oddly that did not bother Lorenz as much as he might have expected. Merperson lore was full of stories of merpeople and humans falling in love and running away together. Usually it was painted as a tragedy, a cautionary tale: couples like that were doomed to a sort of half-togetherness, each unable to truly enter the other’s realm. But the merpeople who fell in love with humans were not spoken of as having committed some cardinal sin, but more as figures to be pitied. 

Lorenz had never really understood those stories. He’d always felt a deep curiosity towards human culture, of course, but to fall so  _ deeply  _ like that?

And now, all of a sudden, he  _ did  _ understand, at least a little. Merpeople were curious, and humans were always there, so close, yet just out of reach - a world he couldn’t grasp. And to grasp that at last - to be entitled to a human’s time, to have his gaze focused on you, to answer his questions and have him answer yours - was a heady thing.  _ Too  _ heady, perhaps.

The conversation between them had stalled - thanks, no doubt, to Lorenz’s train of thought. Ignatz glanced up at the sky. “It’s close to midday,” he said. “I should be going.”

That now-familiar rush of terror nearly overwhelmed Lorenz, but he forced himself to pause before speaking again, lest he show himself too clearly. “Would you like to meet again tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Ignatz said quickly. “I would like that. The same time works for me.”

“Good,” Lorenz said, and, forgetting how sharp his teeth must have looked to Ignatz, he broke out in a wide grin. This time, though, Ignatz did not recoil, just shyly smiled back.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Ignatz told him about human families - marriage and siblings and grandparents and so much more that Lorenz had not even imagined existed. Human relationships were so complex, he knew he would never be fully able to grasp all their facets, even if Ignatz sat with him and explained daily for a year.

“Do you have any children?” Lorenz asked him. 

“No,” Ignatz said, and laughed, a little nervously. “No, I don’t think I will ever marry.”

“You can have children without marrying,” Lorenz said. He was an expert on this, because Ignatz had just spent the last half hour explaining what marriage was, and Lorenz knew there was nothing biological about it; it was just a human ceremony. 

“Most people don’t, though. They like to be married first.” Ignatz picked up a fistful of dry sand, letting it stream back down between his fingers. “But I don’t have children because I have never been with a woman, and I don’t plan to.”

_ Been with, _ Lorenz knew, was Ignatz’s term for mating. Sometimes he was blunt and factual, but when discussing sex, he seemed almost to use a code. Lorenz thought at first it was to be intentionally confusing, but Ignatz was so honest in all other regards (as far as Lorenz could tell) that this didn’t seem right. No, Lorenz thought it more likely that humans just spoke in a roundabout way when they referred to sex, and this was another peculiar human thing he didn’t grasp, like clothing.

“Some humans are, um, different,” Ignatz went on. “Most men want to get with women, but I… don’t. I feel like that towards men.”

His tone was strange, completely different from any he’d used before, and Lorenz realized there was something very important about this. He looked Ignatz in the eye and tried to project that he was giving him his full attention. “I see.”

“It’s not common, and some people look down on you for it,” Ignatz said. “But at least I’m not the first son. There’s not as much pressure on me to have children.”

“Is it - a secret?”

“Yes,” Ignatz said. “My family doesn’t know.”

_ I won’t tell anyone, _ Lorenz almost said - but of course there was no one he could tell, which, he realized, was the point. Ignatz had not taken much of a risk in choosing to tell him. But Lorenz felt special all the same: he knew something not even Ignatz’s family knew. It was like he’d been given a gift.

“I think most merpeople are interested in both,” Lorenz said. “Of course, to reproduce requires the mating pair to be male and female, but sex without offspring as the goal is not at all uncommon.”

“You’re like that too, then?” Ignatz said. “Interested in both?”

There was something about his tone that was casual, but in a careful, deliberate way, and it gave Lorenz pause. “Yes,” he said at last, watching Ignatz.

The human nodded and said “I see!” The faux-casual tone was still there - the tone of someone who cared deeply, but did not want to make it obvious. Lorenz felt hope rise in him - a wild, dangerous thing, like a vine snaking around his heart.  _ Why does Ignatz care what sex I am attracted to?  _

He thought he might know the reason, but he squashed the thought down, cut the vine off at the root. It would not do to be too hopeful.

\---

They met again the next day. The passage of time made Lorenz nervous: he couldn’t recall how long Ignatz had said he’d be in town, and the days already seemed to be flying so fast. He was spending every afternoon and evening looking forward to the next morning.

“It’s going to be a hot day today,” Ignatz said, glancing up at the sky. 

“The water will keep you cool - why not swim?”

“The townspeople warned me not to. I heard there are dangerous merpeople here.”

Lorenz blinked, startled at how far they’d apparently backtracked, but then saw Ignatz’s smile and realized it was a joke. “They’re right. I’ll eat you,” Lorenz said. Immediately afterwards he wished he hadn’t; what if Ignatz took him seriously?

“They’d say  _ I told you so,”  _ Ignatz said. “But I doubt I’d taste good. I’m pretty skinny.”

_ Good, _ Lorenz thought, relaxing incrementally. This was banter - they were bantering. He should not have doubted Ignatz’s ability to read him. “If you do want to swim, I will swim with you,” Lorenz said. “To protect you from any of those vicious merpeople you heard about.”

“I’d rather not,” Ignatz said. “You’d probably laugh at me.”

Lorenz frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“I’m not a very good swimmer. I’m sure I’d look ridiculous.”

Lorenz considered this for a moment. “You don’t have to swim, of course,” he said, “but I would absolutely not laugh at you.” 

“Is there any place more private?” Ignatz said. “I know we’re kind of hidden from the road by the cliffs, but if someone walked up the beach, they’d see us here from half a mile off.”

“Yes,” Lorenz said, puzzled by the sudden subject change. “A little ways out to sea, there is an island. Not much of one, really, and there’s nothing there but some rocks and sand, but there we couldn’t be seen from the shore.” 

“How far out to sea?”

“Ah…” Lorenz could not estimate it in human units. “I’m not sure if you could swim there. But if you begin to fail, I will help you. Or…” The idea felt like a stroke of genius. “Or I could take you myself! Just wrap your hands around my neck and I will swim you there.”

He expected Ignatz to demur and change the subject, but to his surprise, the human nodded and stepped into the water. “Alright.” 

With Ignatz now so close, Lorenz fully comprehended the size difference between them for the first time. His tail alone was longer than Ignatz was tall, and Lorenz did not think he was especially small for a human; Lorenz himself was only a bit longer than average for a merperson. It made him understand humans’ fear better: something that much larger than you, with teeth so much sharper than yours, would naturally inspire a bone-deep fight-or-flight instinct in you just by existing.

But Ignatz did not seem to be afraid. He walked into the sea until he was chest deep, and Lorenz came up beside him, positioning himself so their heads were at the same height. For the first time, he could really look into Ignatz’s face and observe the warm brown of his eyes, the flush of his cheeks. Ignatz gave him a slight smile, and Lorenz smiled back, careful to keep his teeth behind his lips.

Then he turned and offered his shoulders to Ignatz. It was the first time they’d touched since Ignatz had stroked his tail that first day, and Lorenz was startled by the heat of his skin, the softness and warmth. Ignatz wound his arms around his neck, and Lorenz set off.

It was harder than he’d anticipated to swim while keeping Ignatz’s head above water, but after a little bit he’d worked out a rhythm - slower than his normal swimming speed, but good enough, fast enough. And he found himself happy it was not faster; he found it pleasant to have Ignatz pressed against him like this, his fingers holding on so tightly, his breath audible in Lorenz’s ear. 

_ There’s a human on my back, _ Lorenz thought. But the thought felt wrong: Ignatz was no longer just “a human” - he was  _ Ignatz. _ He was different from the other humans - better than them. 

_ Ignatz is on my back, _ Lorenz tried again, and that felt more right. 

When they reached the island, Ignatz sat on the shore for a moment, his knees pulled to his chest. His clothing was soaked through, and the way it clung to his body revealed how thin he was, thinner than Lorenz had guessed. 

“Can you get me a few rocks? Three or so,” Ignatz said. He held up a fist. “Maybe this size?”

“Yes,” Lorenz said, and dove down to the seafloor. When he returned, he found that Ignatz had stripped completely naked and had laid his clothing out on the sand. He took the rocks from Lorenz’s hands and put them on top, pinning the items in place. “So they don’t blow away,” he explained, but Lorenz’s thoughts were not on the rocks.

He felt it might be impolite to stare, but he was unable to stop himself: he was too curious, and Ignatz was right there - so close - and completely unclothed. Lorenz simply did not have the willpower to look away.

Ignatz stood before him, looking down at him almost defiantly. He was certainly not hiding himself, so Lorenz, his heart thudding wildly, let himself observe Ignatz in his entirety for the first time.

The skin on his torso was paler than that of his arms and face. His nipples were pink, and here and there all over were small dark brown dots - Lorenz had noticed some on his face as well, but they stood out more vividly against his paler flesh. In the middle of his belly was a divot like a small crater - then, below it, about where the tail began on Lorenz, there was a patch of hair, curlier and darker than the hair on his head. And, Lorenz saw with a shock, his genitals were there too - almost but not quite hidden in the thick hair. 

“I understand now,” Lorenz said, “why humans wear clothes.”

Ignatz let out a surprised noise and seemed to recoil into himself.  _ “What?” _

“I’m not calling you ugly!” Lorenz said, realizing his words could be interpreted that way. “I meant that I realized you wear clothing for  _ protection. _ For your genitalia. I did not realize they were external.”

Ignatz blinked. “External - as opposed to…”

“Internal, as with mermen.” 

“You mean you have a - a penis  _ inside _ you?”

“Yes,” Lorenz said. “It only appears when I’m aroused.” He looked up at Ignatz curiously. “Did you think I had no genitalia at all?”

“I had no idea.” Ignatz sat down on the sand with a laugh, stretching his legs out towards the water. “I bet I look pretty ridiculous to you, don’t I?”

“Seeing your body is a unique experience. Totally foreign to me,” Lorenz said, pulling himself further onto the shore so they could lie almost side by side. “I have never seen a human without clothes before.” 

“You can touch my legs and feet,” Ignatz said, shuffling himself closer to the water’s edge. “If you want. If you’re curious.”

It was a mirror of that first day - Lorenz found himself placing a hand near Ignatz’s hip and sliding it down, past his knee, along his calf and ankle to end at the top of his foot. His skin was damp but still warm, and the hairs were soft beneath Lorenz’s palm. When Lorenz changed the direction, the hairs resisted the motion of his hand, similar to the way his own scales did.

Ignatz sat there without moving, letting Lorenz examine him in detail - bending his ankles, touching his odd-shaped toes, the curve beneath each foot, the rougher skin at the back of the heel. When Lorenz glanced back at him, Ignatz was watching him just as intently, like  _ Lorenz  _ was the interesting one.

“And my hands and arms, if you want,” Ignatz said, once Lorenz had finished examining his legs. “You can touch them too.”

Lorenz was only too happy to oblige. His heart was racing, his senses were going overdrive - and, without meaning to, he brought one of Ignatz’s hands to his face and breathed in his scent.

Ignatz jumped and gave a little laugh, and Lorenz jerked away, surprised by himself. “I’m very sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do that. I promise, I am not planning to eat you.”

“Were you  _ smelling _ me?”

“I - yes.”

_ “Can _ you smell me?” Ignatz said. To Lorenz’s relief, he sounded more curious than alarmed. “I mean - do I have a smell?”

He raised his hand a little, bringing it back towards Lorenz’s face. That was an invitation if Lorenz had ever seen one; he brought his nose back down to Ignatz’s wrist and breathed in deeply. He felt Ignatz’s pulse fluttering beneath his fingertips, and could actually see the blood in his veins just under the skin.

“Yes,” Lorenz said, after a long moment. “You do. It’s not strong right now, since you just got out of the water, but I can still smell it.” 

“Humans don’t really smell each other like that,” Ignatz said. “Merpeople’s sense of smell must be stronger than ours.”

“We taste, too,” Lorenz said. “Not just each other, but our environment. Sometimes, at the bottom of the sea, there is no light to see by, and we can’t create our own as humans do with fire. We need to use all we’re given.”

“Do… do I have a taste?”

Lorenz looked at him. Ignatz’s eyes were fixed on Lorenz, and now, oddly, they seemed darker than before - less warm brown, more black. 

Lorenz had thought the invitation to smell would be the pinnacle; he hadn’t dared to hope for  _ this. _ It was trust beyond anything he could imagine. Slowly, he put Ignatz’s fingers in his mouth, being deathly careful to avoid even the tiniest nick of his teeth. 

At first there was just the neutral flavor of sea water, but after a moment Lorenz tasted something else - different from anything he’d tasted, different from merpeople and fish and any plant that grew in the sea, warm and gentle like Ignatz. It was a good taste, made infinitely better because of what it symbolized. 

This was how humans tasted. This was how  _ Ignatz _ tasted. Lorenz was not sure he would ever get enough.

He did not want to remove Ignatz’s fingers from his mouth, but he had to, if he wanted to speak. “Yes,” he said at last, “you do have a flavor. Unique. Incredible.”

“Incredible?” Ignatz’s cheeks were pink. “That’s…” 

“I’m not attempting idle flattery,” Lorenz said. “I do not know how to express your taste in words, but it is… pleasing.” 

He had no idea whether that concept might be something humans even spoke about, but, regardless, Ignatz’s expression said he certainly did not mind. “Lorenz,” he said, “do merpeople kiss?”

“No,” Lorenz said. “But I - I know of it. I know what kissing is.”

“Do you know why humans do it?”

“To express affection?”

Ignatz nodded. He closed the distance between them and put his face right in front of Lorenz’s, so they were nearly nose to nose. Lorenz smelled his breath, smelled the warm soft scent of his skin, and held perfectly still, his heart thudding in his ears.

Ignatz pressed their lips together, putting his hands on Lorenz’s shoulders for balance - he was almost entirely on top of Lorenz now - and Lorenz put his shaking hands on Ignatz’s waist.

Ignatz’s lips were soft, so soft again Lorenz’s own. After a moment Lorenz felt Ignatz’s tongue dart out, as if to sneak a taste - then it retreated and Ignatz opened his mouth: an invitation.

Having his tongue inside Ignatz’s mouth made Lorenz feel weak. It was almost too much: he could feel Ignatz’s  _ teeth  _ \- there was no danger in running his tongue along them, dull as they were, and Ignatz didn’t seem to mind; he pressed deeper into the kiss, his back arching. And then he  _ moaned, _ and Lorenz just about lost his mind. It was all so much, too much.

Then Ignatz jerked back with a hiss that was  _ not  _ pleasure, and looked down at where Lorenz’s hands gripped him. “That’s sharp,” he said. “Your claws-”

Lorenz’s hands flew up, and he saw he’d left marks on Ignatz’s sides. No, not just marks - he’d broken the skin, and blood was welling to the surface, beading at each of the punctures. “I am sorry,” Lorenz said. “I did not intend to hurt you. I am so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Ignatz said. “Just be careful. They’re really sharp.” Now that it had stopped, he seemed to have forgiven the injury already. Lorenz kept his hands safely down, but Ignatz put his on Lorenz’s shoulders again and leaned forward, and then they were kissing just as deeply as before, the moment somehow not ruined.

Ignatz hiked a leg over Lorenz and straddled him, surrounding Lorenz on all sides - that soft human warmth might drive him mad, he thought - and then he felt it: the heavy, solid weight on his belly, a hard line digging into him.

“Are you aroused?” Lorenz asked, breaking away. He had almost no doubt: their anatomy was different, but he knew what the penis was for, knew what it growing larger and harder had to mean.

Ignatz recoiled, pulling back into himself slightly. “Yes. I’m sorry…”

It was almost a question, Lorenz thought, and he had to give an answer, a response. He could say  _ That’s alright, I understand, _ and pull away, and they might laugh, and Ignatz would be embarrassed for a while afterwards, but would get over it in time.

But that wasn’t what he wanted. Not at all.

“What happens next?” Lorenz said. “What… what can I do?”

Ignatz stared at him. “You want to…?”

“Yes,” Lorenz said firmly.

“Isn’t it - aren’t you-”

_ “No.”  _ Because whatever Ignatz had been about to say, Lorenz knew it did not apply to him. He was interested - more than interested. He was  _ wanting,  _ very badly. “From the very beginning,” he said, “I wanted to touch you, smell you, taste you. I am  _ fascinated _ by you.”

He felt like he’d torn his flesh off to bare his heart - it was a great risk, saying all this aloud. But Ignatz’s expression was soft and fond. “I can hardly believe it,” he said. “But I’m glad.”

“So show me what to do,” Lorenz said, his tone coming out bossier than he’d intended.

Ignatz wrapped his own hand around his shaft and stroked himself from base to tip. “Like this,” he said, his hand moving back down, then up again. Lorenz set his hand lightly on top of Ignatz’s, getting a feel for the motion.

After a few strokes Ignatz pulled his hand away and Lorenz replaced it with his own. He had so many questions -  _ how does this feel? Am I doing it right? Do you find me attractive?  _ \- but Ignatz was not in a place to answer them; his expression was of unfocused pleasure, eyes half-closed and mouth slack. The skin of his cock was smooth, but beneath it the organ was rigid and longer than it had been while flaccid, flushed and leaking from the tip.

Lorenz didn’t know what human pleasure looked like, but as he watched Ignatz he thought he might be learning now, and relished all of it, ate it hungrily - the noises Ignatz made, the exquisite facial expressions, the dark, half-closed eyes. Lorenz kept moving his hand until he felt Ignatz’s entire body go rigid, his muscles tensing as orgasm overtook him.

Lorenz wanted to engrave that look of breathy flushed pleasure into his mind; he kept stroking Ignatz’s cock as it softened until Ignatz tugged his hand away and slumped forward, nestling against Lorenz’s shoulder with his face pressed to Lorenz’s neck.

The fluid coating Lorenz’s hand was whitish and viscous, similar to but not quite like his own spend. He brought it to his lips and licked it from his skin; the flavor was intense, salty and bitter, neither pleasant nor unpleasant - but it was the  _ idea  _ of it, the idea that he was consuming something from Ignatz’s body, his  _ semen, _ that made Lorenz truly want it.  _ He  _ had done this, had given Ignatz pleasure, and this was the physical proof, warm on his tongue.

“Doesn’t that taste bad?” Ignatz asked, staring at him.

“No.” 

Ignatz got up and sat back on the sand. “Are you also, um…” His eyes scanned down Lorenz’s body. 

“Aroused? Yes.” That was a powerful understatement. “But I did not want my penis to protrude until I had, ah, asked your permission. I did not want to assume anything.”

Ignatz was staring at him. “You can  _ control  _ that?”

“...Yes?”

“Lucky,” Ignatz said, huffing a laugh. “With humans, it just gets hard - we don’t have a say in it.” That explained Ignatz’s bashfulness, then - his own body had given him away. 

He scooted closer, his leg brushing against Lorenz’s tail. “I don’t know how it works,” he said, “but if you want to, um, let it protrude. You can.”

There were a thousand things Lorenz might’ve said, but he couldn’t find words for a single one of them. His blood was pounding; he hadn’t known watching someone else experience pleasure could be so achingly arousing. With one last glance at Ignatz, he let his cock slide out through is slit, inhaling sharply as the air hit his sensitive skin.

Ignatz leaned over to stare, his expression curious. “Can I touch it?”

_ “Yes,” _ Lorenz said, his tone almost desperate. Now that he was well and truly erect, his head was swimming, and he could focus on little else. 

Ignatz ran his hand up and down the shaft much like he’d done to his own cock, then brought his second hand up to cover the rest of it. “It’s so slick,” he said. “Almost slippery.” After a few experimental too-slow strokes, he picked up the pace, falling into a steady rhythm. 

Lorenz threw his head back - he wanted to keep his eyes on Ignatz, but doing so was difficult. There was nothing in his head now but that pleasure, the sensation of Ignatz’s warm hands, his grip straddling the line between  _ too hard _ and  _ perfect;  _ it did not take long until Lorenz was crying out Ignatz’s name, his claws digging lines in the sand.

A moment later Ignatz was kissing him, quick pecks along his jaw and neck, across his cheeks and lips. “You’re beautiful,” he said, and Lorenz was not so far gone he couldn’t hear the compliment, tuck it away in his mind forever.  _ Ignatz called me beautiful. _

After taking a moment to gather himself, Lorenz rolled into the water, letting it wash himself off and dampen his scales; then he lay back on the sand, staring at the sky. Ignatz sat beside him and stroked his hair, and they were silent for a long time, no sound in the world but the waves and their own breaths.

Ignatz spoke before he’d fully regained his bearings. “I should be getting back soon.”

Lorenz sighed.

“I know,” Ignatz said. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to go, either. But… I have a request.”

“What’s that?” There wasn’t much Ignatz could say that Lorenz would refuse.

“Can I draw you? Tomorrow, maybe?”

“Of course.” 

“Good. Thank you,” Ignatz said, his tone very sincere. “I really do think you’re beautiful. Like no one I’ve ever seen - and not just because you’re a merman. Everything about you is lovely.”

Lorenz smiled, preening at his words. “Thank you.”

“And I want something to remember you by.”

Like a crashing wave, Lorenz’s mood turned foul. He tried not to think about the fact that someday in the near future Ignatz would walk away from the ocean, quite possibly never to return. It felt awful to have that thrown in his face - especially now that they were so close, lying next to one another on the beach, Ignatz’s fingers soft in his hair.

Turning his face away to hide his scowl, Lorenz slid into the water. “Let’s go back, then,” he said. “Grab on - I wouldn’t want you to be late.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning dawned gray and dark, so dark Lorenz wouldn’t have known the time of day at all if he hadn’t had the tides to go by. As it was, he couldn’t blame Ignatz too much for being later than normal, since Lorenz knew the human judged time by the sun.

“I brought my art supplies, but I don’t think we’ll be able to do this for very long,” Ignatz said. 

Lorenz nodded, eyeing the sky. It was almost certainly going to rain. 

When the first drops began to fall, Ignatz shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. The air was much cooler than it had been the day before; it was far too cold now for him to swim, Lorenz guessed. There was nowhere they could both go that would provide shelter: the cliffs that would have blocked some of the rain and wind were too far from the ocean for Lorenz to reach. 

“You can leave,” Lorenz said. The rain and cold didn’t bother him in the slightest, but seeing Ignatz shiver made his stomach turn unpleasantly. 

“I don’t  _ want  _ to leave,” Ignatz said. “I’m just sorry the weather decided to be so unpredictable. Yesterday there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!”

“It happens,” Lorenz said. “But please know I am entirely serious. If the weather is too cold and unpleasant for you, I will not be offended if you decide to head back early.”  _ Not  _ **_too_ ** _ offended, at least, _ he added in his head. 

“Thank you,” Ignatz said, “but for now, I want to stay.”

“How many days until you leave?”

“Twelve days,” Ignatz said after a pause. “That’s counting today.”

Lorenz had many things to say in response, but he held his tongue and just nodded. All he could do was enjoy his time with Ignatz while he had it, and try not to think  _ too _ much about afterwards.

Twelve days seemed like such a short time.

They chatted for a while, until the rain and wind picked up and Ignatz’s shivering became too much for Lorenz to ignore any longer. “Go,” he said, almost angry. “You look miserable, and at this rate your art supplies will get ruined. And if the weather’s this bad tomorrow, stay inside. It isn’t worth you suffering.” 

Ignatz took off his glasses - Lorenz knew the name for them now - and tried to wipe them off on his sleeve, which was just as wet as the rest of him. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll - well, I’ll maybe see you tomorrow.” 

Lorenz pretended to swim away, but clandestinely swam as close to the shore as he could, keeping an eye on Ignatz until he’d reached the edge of the town. He knew rain wasn’t harmful to humans - the fisherman went out in it all the time - but seeing Ignatz so visibly unhappy struck a nerve in him. Ignatz seemed so  _ frail  _ all of a sudden. Some idiotic part of Lorenz needed to make sure he didn’t disappear - as if he was light enough to blow away in the wind.

\---

When the next day was just as stormy, Lorenz regretted his words. Ignatz didn’t show up, of course, but Lorenz still waited, just to make sure, and it made him think unpleasant things. What if the storm persisted? Twelve days - no, eleven now, and that was counting the current Ignatzless one - so only ten more they’d be able to share. Ten more days he could spend with Ignatz, and storms could last for days and days - what if he’d ruined everything with that one half-thought-out command? What if he didn’t see Ignatz again at all?

Lorenz didn’t sleep well that night. The rain on the surface of the sea was typically a calming sound, but now he hated it. Only when it died down to a quiet patter did he finally drift off, his dreams troubled. 

The sky was gray the following day, but the rain had blessedly stopped. The beach was littered with driftwood kicked up by the waves, and Ignatz made his way to their meeting place more slowly than normal, picking his way through with care.

“I brought my art supplies again today,” he said, sitting down on a log that lay across the beach. “Hopefully the rain stays away this time.”

“It will,” Lorenz said, with much more confidence than he actually felt. 

Ignatz directed him for the drawing’s composition. It felt strange to pose - lounging on the sand, propped up on one elbow - and even stranger to have Ignatz’s eyes on him without the two of them interacting in any other way. Lorenz tried to start a conversation now and again, but each time Ignatz lost the thread of it, apparently unable to draw and talk at the same time. 

So Lorenz simply lay there and got his fill of watching Ignatz. It felt like that first day, although he couldn’t see the drawing this time. He hoped he’d get to see it eventually; he’d never been drawn before, and the idea of it sent a thrill through him. Lorenz knew his own face - he owned a mirror, a small one scavenged from a human shipwreck - but the thought of someone making art of him was something else entirely, something far more exciting than seeing himself as he was.

It went on like this for most of the morning. Lorenz’s arm grew tired from propping his torso up, but he stayed still, determined to remain exactly as Ignatz had positioned him. 

At last Ignatz lowered his hand and relaxed, the focused look leaving his face. “You can relax now,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Can I see it?”

“Not yet,” Ignatz said, tucking his sketchbook under his arm. “It’s messy. I’ll clean it up, and you can look afterwards.”

“In that case, I shall try to be patient.”

Ignatz smiled. He was still seated on the log, and Lorenz came up to him, dragging his belly on the sand. Ignatz reached a hand down and stroked Lorenz’s hair. 

“It’s still too cold for me to swim today,” Ignatz said, his voice quiet. “Do you think it’ll be warmer tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I hope it is.” Ignatz’s voice dropped so low Lorenz could barely hear it. “I want to go back to the island.”

The words sent heat through Lorenz’s body. “Me, too,” he said, pressing his face against Ignatz’s leg. The material of his pants felt strange, but it was still  _ some  _ kind of contact, so Lorenz took it gladly. Ignatz’s fingers brushed his forehead and he shut his eyes, savoring the touch. 

“I can’t describe what you’ve done to me,” Ignatz said. His voice was still quiet, though there was no one around to hear. “The other day, out on the island… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About you.”

Lorenz raised his gaze to look up at him; Ignatz’s cheeks were red, and his eyes had taken on that strange dark quality. “What were you thinking about?” Lorenz asked.

“What I want to do to you. What I want you to do to me.” Ignatz shuddered. “It takes so much restraint not to throw caution to the wind and strip myself naked right here on the beach.”

Lorenz smiled. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“I can’t, I know I can’t,” Ignatz said. “The road’s right there, and someone might come up from the town, but I - I  _ want  _ you.” 

Lorenz felt a raw hunger at his words. Ignatz had gone from being so bashful the first times they’d discussed sex to openly stating his desires like this, and Lorenz loved the change.

“The sky is already starting to clear up,” Lorenz said. “Tomorrow it should be sunny.” He hoped it would be, at least. He was not as good at predicting the weather as he wished he was. “And if it’s sunny, it will probably be warmer.”

“I have good news,” Ignatz said. “I meant to tell you earlier, but I forgot.”

“Oh?”

“Tomorrow, I don’t have to return to the town until evening.” He smiled. “I’m yours all day.”

_ I’m yours.  _ Lorenz’s fingers curled. He felt like a coiled spring. “I look forward to it.”

\---

As soon as they reached the shore of the island the next morning, Ignatz pinned Lorenz down and kissed him, his legs straddling Lorenz’s torso. Lorenz wasn’t really trapped - Ignatz was small enough in comparison that he could have gotten away easily - but he liked feeling like he was. 

Ignatz was already aroused, his cock a hard line against Lorenz’s skin. He was still wearing his soaked clothing, but it clung to him tightly, doing nothing to hide the shape of his body. 

They broke apart, Ignatz breathing in deeply. Lorenz gazed up at him, his pulse ringing in his ears. “Ignatz,” he said, “will you tell me what you want to do with me?”

The immensity of Ignatz’s desire was near overwhelming. Lorenz wanted to give him what he wanted,  _ everything _ he wanted, but hardly knew where to begin. Human sex was different than merperson sex - Lorenz didn’t know very much about the specifics of it, but it  _ had _ to be, simply because the anatomy was so different. 

Lorenz’s question had made Ignatz blush. His embarrassment seemed to come and go at the strangest times. “Whatever you want to do,” he said unhelpfully, biting his lip. “Everything. Anything.”

“I don’t know what we  _ can _ do,” Lorenz said helplessly. He felt hot all over, as if he’d spent hours lying out in the sun. “I need you to tell me, Ignatz, or show me. I am in unfamiliar waters.”

“Okay.” Ignatz planted one last kiss on Lorenz’s lips before sliding off of his body and onto the sand. He stripped off his damp clothing and kicked it aside, then knelt down beside Lorenz once more. “There are things that work on other humans that may or may not work on you. So… it’ll be an experiment, I guess.”

“I certainly don’t mind.”

For a moment, Ignatz looked like he was thinking very hard about something; then he sighed. “I’m nervous,” he said at last. “Excited, but so nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“I’ve been with people before - other humans, I mean - but no one like you. I’m just a human, and you’re a giant beautiful merman, and I’m just concerned I’ll screw everything up somehow.”

Lorenz held back an incredulous laugh. “I think we see each other in a similar fashion. You are as exciting and new and tantalizing to me as I am to you.” 

Ignatz smiled a little. “I’ve never been called  _ that _ before.”

“It’s true. And I think we have the same fears.” It was hard to say out loud, but if Ignatz had admitted it, he could too. “I certainly have no small number of concerns, myself. For instance, perhaps you won’t find me as attractive as a human partner, or that I shall be bad at - whatever we eventually decide to do.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, Ignatz began shaking his head. “You won’t be bad,” he said. “You don’t need to do anything. Just lie there.”

“You have something in mind, then?”

“Yes.” Ignatz’s face showed more confidence now. Lorenz hoped that meant his words had been at least somewhat reassuring. “You need to - can you, ah, can you stick out your…?”

Lorenz could have rolled his eyes. He knew what Ignatz was asking of him, though; he was already aroused, had been since the first press of Ignatz’s lips on his own, so it was much easier to just do what Ignatz wanted him to do - and what he wanted to do - than poke fun at Ignatz’s aversion to directness. 

Lorenz’s cock slid out of his body with a slick sound, louder than he’d expected in the open air. He leaned up onto his elbows to watch as Ignatz wrapped one hand around the base. “This lubricant is fascinating,” Ignatz said, staring. “It - it seems extremely convenient.” 

Then he lowered his head and put his mouth on it.

At first the touch was light and curious; Lorenz even felt Ignatz’s tongue dart out, sneaking a taste the same way Lorenz had done to Ignatz’s fingers a few days prior. “The taste is… not bad,” Ignatz said, sounding surprised. “It’s - it’s _ good, _ actually.”

Ignatz slipped his mouth further over Lorenz’s cock, and Lorenz groaned aloud at the feeling. He could feel the inside of Ignatz’s mouth, the press of his tongue - it was incredibly intimate, and it felt  _ so good, _ tight and hot and slick with spit and his own fluid. Ignatz didn’t go all the way down - he probably couldn’t, Lorenz figured - but his hand was still wrapped around the base, covering what was left. He began to move his head up and down, his eyes focused on Lorenz’s face the entire time. 

Lorenz wanted it to last forever, but he knew almost immediately he wouldn’t last long at all. The intimacy of having Ignatz’s full attention, the almost frightful directness of his gaze, the idea of what exactly they were doing, and of course the actual physical sensation of it all quickly became more than he could take; he came into Ignatz’s mouth with a long, drawn-out moan, just barely stopping himself from grabbing at Ignatz’s head and pawing at his hair in his pleasure. Ignatz made a noise of surprise but did not draw back - in fact he seemed to redouble his efforts, not stopping until Lorenz was completely spent. 

Lorenz lay back on the sand, his heart pounding. He felt drained, as if he’d just spent a day’s worth of energy, but it was a light feeling, airy, incredibly pleasant. As his cock finally slipped back inside his body, he felt Ignatz lie down beside him on the sand, tucking his face against Lorenz’s neck. 

“You are so beautiful,” Ignatz whispered. “So, so beautiful.” He was kissing Lorenz now, his lips hot against Lorenz’s neck and collarbone, chest and shoulder; Lorenz felt the hard press of Ignatz’s cock against him, realized he was rutting against Lorenz’s side, chasing his pleasure against Lorenz’s body. 

Lorenz turned his head and kissed Ignatz on the mouth, slipping his tongue inside and tasting the tang of his own spend. He felt Ignatz jerk and shudder, moaning into his mouth and clutching at him - coming, Lorenz realized, simply from the friction of Lorenz’s body; then they both lay still, the pace of their kissing turning leisurely, lazy.

Eventually they broke apart and just lay there on the sand, basking in the sun. Ignatz nestled into him again, and Lorenz felt a surge of  _ something _ at the feeling of it. Protectiveness, perhaps. Ignatz had dull teeth and nails and soft, warm skin, but he trusted Lorenz so wholly he was pressing himself against his side for comfort, no scrap of fear left. 

Lorenz wanted the moment to last forever. And it lasted for a long time; Ignatz was still for so long Lorenz wondered if he’d drifted off. He was startled how much he wanted it to be true: the idea of Ignatz falling asleep beside him was somehow even better than the physical pleasure they’d just shared. 

But after a time, Ignatz did stir and rise, walking over to the heap that was his clothing. He pulled out a container Lorenz hadn’t noticed, some kind of bag made of skin that he held to his lips. 

Oh, of course, Lorenz thought - humans needed fresh water, didn’t they? He hadn’t even considered it. It gave him a jolt of shame: he hadn’t lent a single thought to Ignatz’s most basic needs, or to making sure he was comfortable. 

“Do you have food as well?” Lorenz asked.

Ignatz shook his head. “I didn’t really have a way to keep it from being ruined by the saltwater. But I think I’ll be okay,” he added quickly. “I’ll eat dinner in town when I return tonight.”

“I can catch fish, but…”

Ignatz laughed. “I don’t like to eat fish raw.”

“I suspected as much,” Lorenz said, and sighed. “Ignatz, I apologize for not even considering your comfort. If ever you need me to return you to shore, or back to the town directly, you need only say the word.” 

“Really, I’m fine,” Ignatz said. “But thanks. I’ll let you know.”

It was nice to be able to be lazy, Lorenz thought. A whole day to themselves, and no need for Ignatz to go anywhere until evening - it felt like someone had handed him a gift. He lounged on the beach for a while, watching Ignatz explore the rest of the island. There wasn’t much to it, just spiky beach grass and a few rocks. Ignatz climbed the highest of these and looked out towards shore, and Lorenz watched him, gazing at the shape of his frail human body with such fondness it made him weak. 

\---

The next day, Ignatz did not come.

They’d made arrangements to meet at their normal location. It almost went without saying now, this expectation of a daily meeting, but Lorenz hadn’t wanted to take it for granted - he’d made sure to end the previous day by saying something like “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” and Ignatz had confirmed it. Lorenz was sure of this.

And the weather wasn’t bad, either. It was only slightly colder than the day before, the sky half-dotted with clouds - but as long as it wasn’t raining, Lorenz expected Ignatz to be there. And _ Ignatz was not there. _

Lorenz waited all morning, and around midday he swam as close to the town as he dared, wanting to ensure nothing catastrophic had occurred. No, as far as he could tell, the town itself was fine: no buildings decimated by an errant wave, no bandits raiding the houses, no plumes of smoke. The sea was still dotted with fishermen’s boats, as it was every other day. Lorenz spied townspeople too, going about their business like nothing was wrong.

Normally he might stay and watch them, but now he found the humans he saw to be incredibly uninteresting. It took him by surprise: when had he not cared about humans before? But no, now he found himself caring about one human only. None of them mattered right now, because none of them were Ignatz.

Only hunger drove him away, but Lorenz returned just before sunset, after hunting as quickly as he could. Then he thought that maybe, just  _ maybe  _ Ignatz had made his way back to their meeting point, and he’d missed it; but when he swam back along the coast to check, it was as empty as before.

Lorenz only left the shore when it was too dark to see anything, but then he didn’t know what to do with himself. He was filled with far too much nervous energy to sleep, and was full enough that hunting would be worthless; he could go to regular meeting places and socialize, but he felt like that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

Lorenz knew there was probably a very good explanation for Ignatz not showing. Probably it had something to do with his family’s business, which was the original reason he’d come to the town anyways. (Lorenz regretted not asking more about that now - the whole thing went over his head, but it was a part of Ignatz’s life, so he should have at least  _ tried  _ to understand.) 

Or maybe Ignatz was tired and was taking a break from seeing him. But Lorenz knew deep down that this wasn’t true; if Ignatz wanted a break, he would have come out and said so. He’d wanted to stay outside in the pouring rain - Lorenz had had to force him to go back. He’d  _ wanted _ to stay with Lorenz, even when it had been physically unpleasant to be there.

So Lorenz’s mind went to darker and darker places: sickness, an accident, kidnapping, death. And - the worst thing of all - if Ignatz was dead, Lorenz would  _ never know. _ It wasn’t as if the townspeople knew to pass a message on. Lorenz would be in the dark for the rest of his life.

He did not even attempt to sleep until very late that night, and what little sleep he got was fitful and restless. As soon as the sun rose, he went to the meeting place and waited.

Time passed so sluggishly. As morning turned to afternoon, Lorenz realized Ignatz was, yet again, not going to come.

He went back to the town one last time, squinting at all the human faces he saw; but none were his human.  _ His human -  _ that was laughably wrong. Ignatz was not Lorenz’s in any sense of the word. 

There was one thing he could think of to do. He did not want to do it, but his need to know what had happened was stronger than his old fear.

He would talk to the Sea Witch. Beg her for help, if he had to. If anyone could tell him what had happened, it was her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I'm REALLY sorry for the delay on this. I got caught up in other projects, and put off editing for ages.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's left kudos and/or comments - I really appreciate it!

The Sea Witch was a mermaid around his age. They’d spent time together growing up, but he’d always gotten the sense she didn’t care much for him. She acted so gentle, so sickly-sweet to everyone that you couldn’t be sure of how she really felt about anything, but Lorenz felt the creeping suspicion in his gut. When she smiled at him, it rang just a little false.

She lived in a little cave - one of the few merpeople he knew that wasn’t entirely transient - and brewed potions, trading them for extra supplies, or giving them away for nothing at all. People said she knew the healing properties and side effects of every plant in the ocean, and some above it. She also had such a sharp ability to read people, and so much knowledge of what was happening in the area, it was rumored she was psychic. Despite her oddness, she was well-liked - one of those people everyone seemed to know.

She gave Lorenz the creeps. As he entered her dingy little cave, he saw she was sorting some massive pile of who-knows-what, seed pods and nuts and bones, all the while humming to herself.

He must’ve made a sound, or she felt the water currents change at his arrival, because she turned to face him as he swam in. “Lorenz!” she said, her eyes wide. “What a pleasure!”

“Hello, Mercedes,” he said. “I - I need to ask a favor from you.”

“This is a surprise,” she said. “You haven’t come to see me in  _ years! _ How have you been? What’s the matter?”

There she was again, acting as if she was an old friend he might visit socially, when he  _ knew _ she loathed him. “I apologize for the intrusion,” he said. “But I have a desperate issue.”

She nodded. “Yes, I got that much. Please go on.”

“I have recently made the acquaintance of a human,” Lorenz said, then paused, waiting for some kind of reaction from her. 

“I’ve heard rumors of it,” she said lightly, smiling. “People are saying you spend so much time at the shore, they never see you around.”

_ Of course  _ people were gossiping about him. Lorenz would normally have minded, but now what the other merpeople had to say was far less important than the topic at hand. 

“I have been meeting this human - he’s an outsider, not from the town - just about every day, for…” How long had it been? Lorenz couldn’t remember. “For a while now. We meet on the beach, if the weather allows. We had arranged to meet yesterday, but he didn’t come to our meeting point - and he didn’t come today either.”

“And you’re worried about him,” Mercedes said. 

She hadn’t said it like a question, but Lorenz nodded anyway. “I think something might have happened to him,” he said. “But I have no way to communicate with him, or to visit the town and inquire.”

“You said he’s from out of town,” Mercedes said. “Maybe he just went back to where he came from?”

Lorenz shook his head. “No, he still had….”  _ Think - how many days?  _ “Eight… no, seven days. Seven days before he was scheduled to leave.” 

“Perhaps he just decided not to seek you out anymore?”

“I don’t think it’s that,” Lorenz said. “I mean - perhaps. And if so…” The idea stung. “If so, that is his right and I won’t bother him anymore. But I don’t think that is what happened.”

To his surprise, Mercedes broke out into a smile. “My, Lorenz, how you’ve changed.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve never seen you care about anything this much.” Before he could think of a reply, she continued: “What do you want me to do about your problem with this human?”

“Well, I’ve heard rumors about some of the mixtures you make,” he said slowly. “I’ve heard you can make one that turns a merperson into a human. It may be just a rumor, but I came to see if… if it was true.”

“And if I could, what would you do?”

“I’d take it, of course,” Lorenz said. “I’d go to the town and search until I found out what was going on.”

“You’d go naked?” 

Lorenz’s mouth shut with a clack. “Well…” 

“No, never mind clothes, you wouldn’t even know how to  _ walk! _ Lorenz, your plan would fail before you even reached the town.”

_ Then what can I do? _ he wanted to scream. He shook his head, feeling helpless and angry. “I will take it anyways. I’ll find something to clothe myself in. And if I can’t figure out how to walk, I’ll crawl. It’s not far from the beach.”

“Oh, Lorenz,” Mercedes said, sighing. “Look, perhaps you should wait another day. This all sounds incredibly dangerous. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation, if you would only wait.”

_ Do you know how fragile humans are? _ Lorenz thought, angry at how nonchalant she seemed to be taking the whole thing.  _ How easily they can break? _

“Please give me the mixture,” he said, his voice steely. “Any danger I put myself in thereafter is upon me alone.”

She smiled again, even more widely this time, and Lorenz felt angry enough to boil the water around him. Then, to his surprise, she said: “You don’t need to. I’ll go.”

“You - what?”

“I’ve got clothes stashed away onshore. I know how to walk, how to talk to humans, and I’ve even passed through the town a few times. Do you know where he’s staying?”

Lorenz shook his head. “I’m sorry…”

“If he’s a traveler, it’s probably the inn,” she said, turning away from him to swim deeper into her cave. “I’m going to mix something up, and as I do that, I want you to tell me everything you know about him. I’ll pretend I’m a friend of his he’d planned to meet, and came because I was worried.”

“Mercedes, I - this - it could be dangerous, like you said.”

“Don’t worry about me!” she said cheerily. “I’m not completely defenseless. Oh, but will you stay here and keep an eye on my things while I’m away? If anyone comes to see me, tell them I’ll be back later tonight.” She turned back to him, ingredients in her arms. “So, this human of yours… Will you tell me about him?”

\---

Before she left, Mercedes patted his shoulder and told him she liked “this new Lorenz,” whatever that meant. Then he was alone in her cave full of bottles and ingredients, buoyed up by hope for the first time in two days.

When she returned, the sun had set. Lorenz was astounded to realize he’d actually drifted off to sleep. He must have been even more tired than he’d thought.

“First off,” Mercedes said once he was awake, “Ignatz is fine.”

“You spoke to him?”

She nodded. “He’s a sweetheart. He said  _ glowing _ things about you. He apologized about a dozen times, too.” 

If he was alive, that meant--

“Lorenz,” Mercedes said sharply, interrupting his train of thought, “I can’t imagine you know very much about human skin, right?”

The question took him so much by surprise he couldn’t speak for a moment. “No…?”

“Humans are sensitive to the sun,” she said. “When they’re out in the sun, their skin is darkened by it. And if they have pale skin and they’re out too long, they can get something called sunburn.”

Lorenz knew what burns were, and he shuddered. “I had no idea…”

“It means the skin turns pink and painful,” Mercedes added. “It isn’t the same as being burned by a fire. But it can get very bad sometimes, and can even make the human sick.”

“Oh…”

“And when it reflects off the surface of the water, the effect of the sun is even stronger,” she said. “After spending the entire day out in the sun, completely unprotected, Ignatz had a very bad sunburn all over his body.”

Lorenz covered his face with his hands. He heard Mercedes giggle. “Oh, Lorenz, he’ll be  _ fine. _ He feels quite sheepish about the whole thing. He said he tried to visit you the first day, but got dizzy and fell over and his host at the inn confined him to bed. He’s already mostly recovered. He says he’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Mercedes,” Lorenz said, “thank you, I’m sorry, thank you so much--”

“Lorenz,” she cut in. “If you spend time with humans, you must be aware of how they are different from us. Humans aren’t simply merpeople with legs. They are a completely different species.”

“I know, I--”

“If you take a human to an island he can’t leave on his own, you must make sure he has what he needs.”

Lorenz wondered how she knew about the island. Had Ignatz told her? Or were the other merpeople gossiping about it? 

“His condition was worse because he did not get enough drinking water. Some humans don’t like to complain,” she went on. “They might hide their wants and needs as long as they can, especially around people they don’t know very well.”

Her words pierced him like blades. There was no argument he could even make. He’d thought to ask about food, but hadn’t even considered that Ignatz’s water supply might not be enough for him. He hadn’t known that the  _ sun, _ of all things, could make humans sick.

“I’m sorry,” Lorenz said simply. 

“You should tell  _ him  _ that.”

“I will.”

“He seems like a very kind person,” she said. “I’m sure he will forgive you.”

_ He is, _ Lorenz thought. And he probably would. At least Lorenz hoped so. “Mercedes, thank you very much. I will be more aware next time.” 

“Seven more days, that’s what you said? Or was it eight?” 

He looked at her sharply, saying nothing.

“It will be hard for both of you.”

“Please do not talk about that.”

“You should get some rest,” she said. “I don’t mean any offense, but you look like you haven’t been sleeping well.” She smiled. “I can’t imagine why!”

He thanked her for the thousandth time and swam off, feeling a strange mix of emotions - relieved and guilty and deeply sad.

_ Seven days. _

\---

The next morning, Ignatz was there.

Just as Mercedes had told him, Ignatz’s skin looked pinker - not a blush, but the burn she’d mentioned.

“I’m so sorry,” Lorenz said, as soon as Ignatz was within earshot.

“Funny,” Ignatz said, smiling ruefully. “I was going to say the same thing.”

“I didn’t know what had happened to you - I’m so glad it’s nothing worse than sunburn. Although I imagine sunburn is not a pleasant thing--”

“Please don’t patronize me,” Ignatz said. “I already feel foolish enough about that.”

“I - I’m not trying to,” Lorenz said, taken aback. “I imagine it must be highly unpleasant. I’m very sorry for bringing you onto an island and not offering you any protection for the sun. It was foolish of me. I know so little about humans that I didn't even know of the existence of sunburn until Mercedes explained it to me yesterday.”

“Mercedes,” Ignatz echoed. “Is that the woman who visited me?”

“Yes,” Lorenz said. “When you didn’t show up for two days, I sought her help. I didn’t know what else to do - I imagined the worst. I didn’t think you would break our arrangement voluntarily.”

“No, I wouldn’t have,” Ignatz said. “I was pretty bad off. The innkeeper practically tied me to the bed. I’m very sorry,” he said, stroking Lorenz’s face. “I should have tried harder to bring a message to you. I - I didn’t think you’d worry so much about me.”

“You didn’t?” Lorenz asked. It seemed incomprehensible. He’d spent every minute of the past two days worrying about Ignatz. “Well, I suppose you know better now.”

Ignatz kissed his forehead. “I’m kind of glad,” he said quietly. “Not that you were worried, but that you cared that much.” He pulled away slightly, frowning as if something bothered him. “I have a question, though.”

“Hm?”

“I thought you said you didn’t know any humans…?”

“Oh, Mercedes isn’t a human,” Lorenz said. “She’s a mermaid.”

Ignatz’s eyes grew wide. “She is?”

“She’s - they call her the Sea Witch. She brews potions, and seems to know everything that’s going on. I asked her to give me a potion to turn me into a human, but…” His plan had been a foolish one, that was certain. “She convinced me it was better if she went instead.” 

“She turned into a human?” Ignatz repeated.

“Yes. Temporarily.”

“That can be done?”

“She’s the only one I know who can create a potion to do it,” Lorenz said. “But yes, it can be done.”

“This is remarkable,” Ignatz said. “Lorenz, why did you not mention this sooner?”

“I…” Lorenz was taken aback, surprised by Ignatz’s sudden enthusiasm. “Until last night, I did not know for certain it was true - I’d only heard rumors.”

“Can she do the reverse?” Ignatz asked. “Can she create a potion for humans to become merpeople?”

“I don’t know.”

“Either way… either way, Lorenz, don’t you - aren’t you - aren’t you…” He paused, seemingly struggling to regain control of his emotions. “Have you thought of asking her for a potion of that sort for yourself?”

“I did ask yesterday, but she convinced me that under the circumstances…”

Ignatz shook his head, stopping Lorenz mid-sentence. “No, I mean for your own use, not just to check on me.”

Finally Lorenz understood what Ignatz was saying. “To become a human, not for any other purpose?” He pursed his lips, thinking. “Well, there would be a lot to consider. I wouldn’t have clothes. I wouldn’t know how to walk - to use my body at all.” 

Ignatz seemed impatient. “But think of the possibilities! You could see human cities, speak to all the humans you wanted. Hear human music, see human art… Aren’t you curious?”

“Of course I’m curious!” Lorenz took a moment to compose himself; his voice had come out much louder than he’d intended. “Of course I’m curious. But there are so many restrictions to consider. I don’t know how long her potions last, for instance. It would be unfortunate to turn back into a merman unexpectedly.”

“So ask her!” Ignatz said. “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

_ You don’t know what she’s like, _ Lorenz thought - but then he paused, reconsidering that objection. Apparently  _ he _ didn’t know what she was like, either; the Mercedes he’d spoken with the night before had been harsh, but only when necessary - and she’d done him a huge favor. It was a real possibility that she’d help him again, if he asked. 

But something was making Lorenz resist the idea of turning into a human. It wasn’t speaking with Mercedes about it. He could do that, he knew - she was much less frightening to think of after yesterday. No, it was the idea of becoming a human with Ignatz, venturing into the town with Ignatz, and then… what?

Being alone. He could be surrounded by a whole city of humans, but that wouldn’t be the same.

_ Six days. _

“Why does it matter so much to you?” Lorenz said, regretting the words even before they were out of his mouth. “You’ll be gone soon anyways.”

Ignatz’s face twisted up in hurt surprise. “I haven’t been looking forward to leaving,” he said. “I’ve been thinking of what I can do to get out of it. I don’t  _ want  _ to leave. I could write to my brother and tell him something delayed me, but…” He shook his head. “That wouldn’t work. Anything I do is only temporary - I’ll need to leave eventually. But if you can--” He broke off and glanced away. “Look, I know it would be hard, transforming into a human. I can’t imagine what that would be like - getting used to a new body, walking on legs for the first time. But when you said just now that it was a possibility, I got… hopeful.”

“Why?” Lorenz said, his voice barely audible. His heart was pounding.

“What if you can…” Ignatz broke off. It seemed as if he was avoiding asking directly.

_ Say it, _ Lorenz thought, pleading with Ignatz in his thoughts.  _ Ask me. _

“You can travel with me, if you want.” The hurt in Ignatz’s expression was gone - now he just looked determined. “I know what you’d be giving up. I know the amount of trust you’d be putting in me. I almost can’t ask that of you. But if you want to, even knowing how hard it might be… I want you to know I want you with me.”

“It might not even be possible,” Lorenz said, finding it suddenly very hard to swallow; his throat seemed to be clenching up. “Perhaps Mercedes can’t brew a potion that’ll last that long. Perhaps she  _ won’t.” _

“But if she can, and will, I’ll help you,” Ignatz said. “I can find clothes for you to wear and teach you all the other things you need to fit in amongst humans. We still have six days,” he added quickly. “It can be like a test run. If you decide you hate it, you can stay here.”

Lorenz hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll ask her,” he said, his voice coming out shaky. “I’ll ask her today.”

\---

Mercedes looked at him for a long time when he explained himself. She was patient with him, saying nothing to interrupt him as he circled around the point for a while before finally reaching it. And he asked his question of her, and she just looked and looked, her expression unreadable.

“There is a lot you don’t know about being a human,” she said at last.

“Yes.” There was no argument he could make against that. “But Ignatz said he’d teach me what I needed to know.”

“And do you think he’ll be a good teacher?”

“I…”  _ Actually, I have no idea. _ “I hope so. He seems like he will be.”

“I liked him, when I spoke with him yesterday,” Mercedes said lightly. “He seems like a kind person.” She turned behind her and pulled out a bottle, about as tall as Lorenz’s hand was wide. It was filled with a liquid that was almost clear, but in the light shined a faint red-pink. “I had the strangest feeling,” she said, smiling, “that you’d come back and ask for this. I didn’t know it would be so soon, though!”

Lorenz’s mouth dropped open. “Is that…”

“I went ahead and prepared a new batch. Lorenz, listen to me - this is very important.”

“I’m listening.”

“If you drink this entire bottle, you will become a human for one day, one day exactly. Twenty-four human hours. Every day it will refill, but it will take most of a day to do so.”

_ “Refill?” _

She nodded. “It’s magic. Lorenz,  _ do not lose this bottle. _ Do not let anyone take it away from you. Do not let anyone else drink it. I don’t know what will happen if a human takes it, but probably nothing good.” 

“I won’t. I promise.”

“It’s dangerous, being a human. Make him tell you everything before you leave the sea behind entirely.”

“I will.”

She handed Lorenz the bottle. It felt warm in his hand, warmer than Mercedes’ grip should have made it, as if it had been lying in the sun. 

“As payment,” Lorenz said, “I can give you anything you want - I have jewelry--”

Mercedes was shaking her head. “Take all of that with you,” she said. “You can sell it to humans - the money will get you a long way. And be careful who you let know you’re a merman. They’ll like you more as a human. Remember that before you tell your secret to someone new, even if they are kind.”

A thought struck him suddenly. “You’ve gone out there a lot, haven’t you?”

“Maybe!” she said playfully. “Well, yes, I have. Sometimes I just can’t help myself!”

Lorenz certainly couldn’t blame her; he knew exactly how it was.


End file.
